Au Fleuron off the mark over hurdles Au Fleuron (7/2) put an-odds on defeat at this course last month firmly behind him when winning the four-year-old maiden hurdle. Only fourth over 2m4f on that occasion, Davy Russell’s mount tracked pace-setter Ha D’or (7/2) throughout this two-miler and collared that rival in the final fifty yards to score by a length and a quarter. It was a further seven and a half lengths back to the winner’s stablemate Enki Flacke (40/1) in third. The 8/11 favourite Belle Metal could find no more from three out and finished a well-beaten fifth. The winner had joined current connections for £220,000 after winning a point-to-pointers’ bumper at Tipperary in March for Denis Murphy. “He’s a nice horse and he improved an awful lot from the first day," said winning trainer Gordon Elliott. “I’d say he wants two and a half miles and we’ll find a winners-of-one somewhere.” Quotes from Alan Magee
